ISO Certification without Quality Dept?

Suppliers, supplier management

Question

There were some changes recently in the company where I work. Now, a quality manager or quality function does not exist in the our company; however, we do maintain the ISO certification.  Our ISO certification applies to our corporate office and it applies also to the manufacturing facility located in a different city.

Is acceptable to have an ISO certification and not have a quality function?

Answer

There is no requirement for a quality function in ISO 9001:2015. I believe that this can be a positive move for your organization as it puts the job of quality upon the process owners, especially top management.  This is where it should be.

It can be a little messy as these responsibilities are passed back to the process owners; but, it’s right!

George Hummel

For more on this topic, please visit ASQ’s website.